The United States said Tuesday it expects Desi Bouterse, the newly elected president of Suriname, to respect democratic principles and to “stand firm” against corruption. Although Bouterse is accused of killing political opponents and is a convicted drug trafficker, the State Department said in a statement it respected the results of free and fair elections and looked to maintaining “good ties” with the new government. However, the department announced that the United States will not tolerate corruption or lack of democratic principles. “We will be clear with the incoming Suriname government that, for good relations with the United States and the international community, we expect this new government to stand firm against corruption and respect democratic principles, human rights, and the rule of law,” the State Department said.
